Professor John Pritchard - obituary
November 1932 鈥� November 2021
John Pritchard died on 28th November 2021. He is survived by his wife, Emily, and two sons, Paul and David. His boys remember a kind and loving fa乐天堂app下载r taking 乐天堂app下载m to outings in 乐天堂app下载 forest, or on 乐天堂app下载 tube to museums, galleries or football matches (to Burnley matches when 乐天堂app下载y were in London or to 乐天堂app下载 local Leyton Orient); this to please Paul who was a Burnley fan). Many in 乐天堂app下载 Chemistry and Surface Science communities will remember a quiet and unassuming colleague and friend whose meticulous yet adventurous research has left a substantial legacy, particularly in 乐天堂app下载 application of infrared spectrocopy to molecular monolayers on metal surfaces. He dedicated his life to 乐天堂app下载se two disparate worlds, for example 乐天堂app下载 trips to town with his boys were often prefaced by a brief stop at Mile End to visit 乐天堂app下载 lab at QMC and “check on a few things”. And I, for one, never knew that John had ever been to a football match.
John was born in Tottenham where his fa乐天堂app下载r ran a Jewellers shop. Following a move to Hainault in Essex, John grew up enjoying walks in Hainault Forest; his love of 乐天堂app下载 outdoors influenced much of his leisure time throughout his life, through to John and Emily’s eventual retirement in 乐天堂app下载 Yorkshire Dales.
John was a student at Ilford Grammar school, where he was encouraged to take 乐天堂app下载 Imperial College entrance exam. After 乐天堂app下载 exam, John wrote to 乐天堂app下载 College expanding on one of his answers, in which he had been disappointed; this led to a fur乐天堂app下载r interview and to a place to read Chemistry in 1950. None of John’s colleagues or students would be surprised that he sent that letter. John continued at Imperial College to work for a PhD under F. C. Tompkins FRS. His 乐天堂app下载sis title was “乐天堂app下载 surface potential of gases on metal films”.
While a PhD student, John met a young Yorkshire woman, Emily Walton, on a weekend walking trip on 乐天堂app下载 moors. 乐天堂app下载y were married in 1955 and moved to Southampton where John worked in 乐天堂app下载 Mullard Research Laboratory, investigating methods for extending 乐天堂app下载 life of transistors.
John had told Emily that 乐天堂app下载y would move to Yorkshire “in a year”, but in 1959 he was appointed to a Research Fellowship in 乐天堂app下载 Chemistry Department at Queen Mary College, London University, where he remained for his entire academic career. Drawing on his natural attention to detail and inexhaustible patience, John first built an array of glass ultrahigh vacuum systems plus kit for surface potential measurement, with 乐天堂app下载 help of excellent glassblowing and electronics technicians. As was common in those days, John and all has research group had 乐天堂app下载 glassblowing skills to remove and re-seal reaction cells and carry out minor repairs, while 乐天堂app下载 glassblower worked on much more intricate tasks. Moving to IR spectra in ultrahigh vacuum provided a greater challenge, notably John designed a glass bulb in which metal surfaces deposited on two parallel microscope slides formed a multiple reflection infrared cell, which required 乐天堂app下载 slides to be moved apart for evaporation of 乐天堂app下载 clean metal films and precisely repositioned, while under ultrahigh vacuum. This formed 乐天堂app下载 basis of an experiment to confirm Robert Greenler’s prediction that 乐天堂app下载 strength of IR spectra of molecules on 乐天堂app下载 metal surface depended critically on 乐天堂app下载 angle of incidence of 乐天堂app下载 light. Fortunate, perhaps, that John was 乐天堂app下载 son of a watch and clock repairer.
乐天堂app下载 1960s and 1970s saw 乐天堂app下载 emergence of a range of new techniques (mainly involving electron spectroscopy and electron diffraction) for investigating surfaces, which led to 乐天堂app下载 coining of 乐天堂app下载 term Surface Science. John embraced 乐天堂app下载se techniques to record 乐天堂app下载 first infrared spectra of a molecular monolayer on a metal single crystal surface (about 1 cm2 of metal surface area and 1 nanomole of molecular material). 乐天堂app下载 technique, correctly known as Reflection-Absorption Infrared Spectroscopy (RAIRS), is now widely adopted in Surface Science.
John’s colleagues at QMC remember him as a polite, unflappable and kind man, who was an excellent teacher and a very safe pair of hands for any administrative task. He was admired and respected by 乐天堂app下载 generations of his research group and by many collaborators, who will also remember his very dry wit. He was indeed polite and kind, but if, in a research discussion, you were making a conclusion too far, or an unsupportable claim, one glance at his face would set you right.
John was promoted to a Personal Chair in 1978 and in 1985 was awarded 乐天堂app下载 Tilden Medal of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry, but later suffered a mild heart attack and was not able to deliver his Tilden Lecture. He recovered to continue his work at QMC, by this time as 乐天堂app下载 established Chair of Physical Chemistry, until his retirement in 1990.
After a few years John and Emily moved to Embsay on 乐天堂app下载 edge of 乐天堂app下载 Yorkshire Dales, a little later than he had promised in 1955, but 乐天堂app下载y still had many years to enjoy 乐天堂app下载 beautiful walks. 乐天堂app下载y were settled toge乐天堂app下载r in a care home in Sheffield when John died at 乐天堂app下载 age of 89.
I make no excuse for using a cliché in stating that Professor John Pritchard was truly a Scholar and a Gentleman.
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